Mike was back within minutes, holding a plastic bag containing marijuana. As soon as he opened the door, Rebel walked over to him and began growling. The guard hairs all along his back were raised, creating a line of jet black. He sat back on his haunches and continued to growl.
“Well, that’s about all the proof I need. Only problem is, if he finds something, I wonder if it would stand up in court. You didn’t train him and you don’t know whether or not he was trained by some agency. Do you still have the name of the family you got him from?”
“No. After the officer’s death, they left the area. That’s why I got Rebel. They couldn’t take him with them. I have no idea where they went. I don’t even know the agency the narcotics officer was with. Sorry.”
“Well, it’s a start. Think I’ll take him with me next time I go out to the ranch and see if anything happens.”
“Mike, that’s not realistic. What are you going to tell Jeff if Rebel suddenly runs out into the acreage? No, we need to come up with something else. I’ve got an idea.”
He listened to her idea and between them, they fine-tuned it. It wasn’t perfect and there was some danger involved, but it was all they could come up with.
As they were finishing dinner, Mike’s phone rang. “Hi, Doc. Is the autopsy report available? It is? Great.” He listened for a moment. “Yes, I can come to your office. Be there in about ten minutes. Thanks.”
“Sorry, Kelly,” he said, pushing his chair back from the table. “Loved the meal, but it looks like business calls. Hold the cheesecake. You know it’s one of my favorites. That was the county coroner and he wants to give me the results of the report in person. That seems odd. Wonder what he’s found out? Must be important if he wants to tell me about it in person. If her death was caused by drowning and a blow to the head, which we already know, I’d think he would have told me over the phone. I’ll try and call you later, but it may be too late. If I can’t call you tonight, I’ll check with you in the morning. Forget about our plan for the Black’s ranch for now. We’ll try it another time. There’s no hurry and I sure don’t want you going out there alone.”
Kelly stood at the window and watched as Mike’s car pulled away. Are you crazy, she thought? This is the first time since this whole thing began that I can do something that might be helpful.
She turned and looked at Rebel. “Rebel, let’s go. We’re going to see if Mike’s right about what’s going on out at the Black’s ranch.”
CHAPTER 6
As quietly as possible, headlights extinguished, Kelly drove the minivan up the long gravel driveway leading to the Black’s ranch house. Even in the darkening light, she couldn’t help but notice the magnificent view from the house and ranch. Sensor lights came on almost immediately, bathing the entire area in a bright blue light.
“Well, Rebel, so much for my grand plan to sneak onto the property and see if you smell any drugs. Don’t think we’re going to get very far with that plan. Tell you what; I’ll let you out on the side closest to where the trees are. Let’s see if you smell anything. I’ll pretend that I stopped by to see how Brandon is doing.”
She got out of her minivan and opened the passenger side for Rebel. He sniffed and just as he’d done earlier in the evening, his hackles went up and he started growling. Kelly took a deep breath and almost gagged from a revolting odor.
Good grief, how can they stand that smell? I noticed it when I was here yesterday evening, but the breeze from the ocean must have been blowing it away from the ranch. Tonight it’s horrible. I read somewhere that marijuana really smells bad when it’s getting close to the time to harvest it, but this is beyond what I might have expected. I wonder what the workers do. Wear gas masks? At least the Blacks can go into their house and turn on some kind of a filtering system if it’s not warm enough for the air-conditioner.
Holding Rebel on his leash with one hand, she pressed the big brass door knocker three times with her other hand. The door opened so quickly she was certain that someone had been notified the moment she’d entered the driveway.
Funny, I’ve been out here several times during the day, but I’ve never noticed any type of alarm or security system. I must have activated something when I entered the driveway.
Jeff stood at the open door, looking from Kelly to Rebel. “Little late for a social visit isn’t it, Kelly? And why the dog?”
“Well, I was driving by and decided to drop in and see how Brandon was doing. Rebel always travels with me. Since he hadn’t been here before and he’s so protective of me, I didn’t want to leave him in the car, so I put him on his leash.”
“Not much you can do here. Brandon’s in bed, asleep, and Marcy and I were just getting ready to do the same. Thanks for coming. Understand the service for Amber will be Saturday morning. See you then,” he said, closing the door.
Well, that didn’t go very well, she thought. “Rebel, I’m going to pretend you got away from me. Go over to that fence and see what happens.” She let the leash slide out of her hand. Rebel ran to the fence and began growling. He put his paw on the fence and was thrown back just as a gunshot rang out. She ran over to Rebel not knowing what had happened to him. The door to the house flew open and Jeff rushed over to where she was bending over Rebel.
“Kelly,” he said in a menacing voice, “what’s going on? What was your dog doing over by the fence?”
“I have no idea. His leash slipped out of my hand and he ran over there,” she said, checking to make sure he hadn’t been hit by the gunshot. “Actually, Jeff, I’d like to know what happened to my dog and why someone shot at him.”
Jeff smiled in a placating manner. “Sorry, Kelly. We heard that some of the members of the Indian tribe adjacent to this property have been rustling cattle so I hired a couple of guys to make sure my cattle are safe and secure. Actually, I’d lost a few before I hired them. Don’t want to point a finger, but sure is suspicious. They probably thought the rustlers sent a dog out as a scout. Looks like he’s fine.” He looked at the Rolex on his wrist. “It’s late, Kelly. Seem to remember you have to get up pretty early. Here, let me open your car door for you. I’ll watch you while you drive back to the main road. Make sure your dog doesn’t try to get out, although he seems to be fine. Might want to keep a tighter grip on that leash. Hate for something to happen to him.”
“Thanks, Jeff. See you Saturday at the funeral,” she said as she got in her minivan and started driving back towards the road.
Jeff, you think you’d hate for something to happen to Rebel. Trust me, anything happens to this dog and you will be suspect number one. Mike was absolutely right. Something suspicious is definitely going on out here.
She called Mike and was immediately transferred to his answerphone. “Mike, it’s me. You were right about the Black’s ranch. I’m going home and to bed. Tell you all about it tomorrow morning and don’t worry, Rebel and I are fine.”
CHAPTER 7
Kelly knew the residents of Cedar Bay like the back of her hand, and it was just as she’d predicted, it seemed like everyone in the small town managed to come by Kelly’s Koffee Shop the next morning. She and Roxie never took a break from the time they opened until they closed. It was one customer after another, needing a cup of coffee or something more substantial. It was all they could do to make sure there was enough coffee for everyone and get things in and out of the oven in a timely manner.
While she was busy working, Kelly thought back to her conversation with Chris earlier that morning. He’d arrived at the coffee shop at his usual time and immediately walked over to her, motioning that he wanted to talk to her privately. He looked haggard, he’d missed a couple of spots when he’d shaved, and he didn’t look like he’d slept.
“I couldn’t come by yesterday,” he said. “It was all I could do to teach class. I’m devastated by Amber’s death. I can’t understand why anyone would want to harm her. Do you know anything?”
“No, nothing other than what everyone else knows. I haven’t t
alked to Mike this morning. He and the county coroner had a meeting last night, but I don’t know what he found out. From what I hear it was pretty obvious that someone hit her on the head, weighted her down with some heavy free weights, and then drowned her.”
“You say Mike met with the county coroner last night? Kelly, I’d appreciate if you’d do me a favor. Amber was one of my favorite students. Here’s my cell phone number. Would you text me after you find out what was in the report?”
“I don’t know, Chris. I’m kind of fuzzy on whether or not Mike can even give me information like that. If it’s an important piece of the investigation, I doubt I’ll know anything.”
“Kelly, this is very important to me. Please, if you find out anything at all, let me know.”
“All right, I will.”
Chris left without ordering his usual two cups of coffee and ham omelet. She watched him as he walked out of the coffee house. That’s strange. He was her teacher, but she had several others. They’re all upset that something like this happened to Amber, but I get the feeling there’s more to it with Chris. He certainly seems to be taking it harder than the others. It’s almost like he’s desperate to find out what happened to Amber.
“Sure am glad you’re addicted to those bacon and chocolate chip cookies,” Roxie said. “They saved us. I can’t even begin to tell you how many batches I took out of the freezer and thawed out in the microwave. Seems like everyone needed a little sugar, fat, and chocolate to get through the morning. I know they’ve been your secret addiction for as long as I can remember, but now that your secret’s out, you better keep them on hand all the time to serve the customers.”
“Yeah, I was kind of thinking the same thing. Guess I’m not the only one who likes them. I remember developing the recipe after Mark died. Somehow, they soothed me in those early days of trying to cope with losing him. Pretty soon I had a stash here and another in the cookie jar at home.” She laughed. “I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I even keep a private stash in the glove compartment of my minivan. Looks like they soothed a lot of the customers this morning as well.”
Everyone who knew Kelly well knew she was addicted to her special recipe of bacon and chocolate chip cookies. There were always batches of them in the freezer and over the years, a few customers had learned to ask for them. They weren’t on the menu, but after today she figured she’d start listing them on the large blackboard that greeted the customers as they walked in, letting them know what the daily specials were.
“See you in the morning,” Roxie said, as she prepared to leave. “Joe and I have a meeting with Dr. Ramsey, the principal at Wade’s school. Looks like he’s been ditching his classes. Gee, there’s a big surprise. I’ll start to train Madison when she comes in tomorrow. You’re probably going to have to bake more than usual for the big crowd that’ll be here after the funeral. Bye.”
CHAPTER 8
Kelly decided it would be a lot easier to serve the food buffet style the next day after the funeral rather than try to serve the mourners individually. She looked around the cozy coffee shop, mentally placing where the tables should be located and what she’d put on them. The coffee, cups, napkins, plates, and silverware would work well on a smaller table. Next to it she’d have a larger table for the food and coffee.
Okay, better have plenty of comfort food on hand. Maybe that will help everyone deal with the tragedy. No matter how terrible things are, food always seems to help. I can make the sausage casserole, a French toast casserole, a couple of fruit platters, and I better have a big platter of the bacon and chocolate chip cookies. Probably ought to add a chocolate cake to that as well.
She’d almost finished her mental list when there was a knock on the door. Kelly pulled back the curtain on the small French window and saw Mike standing there. She could tell from his set jaw and the hard look in his eyes that this wasn’t going to be a romance-in-the-storage-area meeting.
“Mike, come in,” she said, standing on her tiptoes and lightly kissing his cheek. “I’ve been waiting to hear from you since early this morning. I’m so curious about what you found out from the coroner and I need to tell you about my visit to the Black’s ranch and the strange conversation I had with Chris. How about some coffee or can I get you something else?”
“If you don’t mind, I’ll take an iced tea, pretty lady. Seem to remember you keep a pitcher of it in the frig. Actually, I’ll help myself. I’ve been working at my computer all morning and I need the exercise.”
When he returned from the kitchen, he sat down across from her. “Mike, what’s wrong? What did you find out?”
Mike held the glass with one hand while he made swirling motions on the moisture on the outside of the glass with the other, then he took a deep breath, looked up at her, and began. “Kelly, did you know that Amber was pregnant?”
She half-stood then sat back down and stared at him, speechless. After a moment she said, “No. I had no idea. Does Brandon know?”
“I don’t know. I can’t tell him. This is a criminal investigation and I’ve sealed the autopsy report until the case is solved. Do you know if she was seeing someone else? I wonder if her being pregnant was the reason she was murdered and by the way, it was murder. She was hit on the head with a blunt object and a burlap bag containing three twenty pound free weights was tied to her body. Someone dumped the body in the bay, knowing she would drown, and hoped it would sink. It was a fluke that Dave happened to snag her while he was fishing and pulled her out of the water. I’m sure the murderer didn’t count on that happening. The only good news is that the coroner says she was hit hard enough that she probably never came to, even when she was drowning.”
In a quiet and stunned tone of voice, Kelly replied, “If she was seeing someone else, she never told me. Her best friend was Lindsay Williams, maybe she knows something. Are you going to tell Ginger and Bob?”
“No, as I told you before, this is a criminal investigation and the report is sealed. I shouldn’t even be telling you, but I know you won’t tell anyone and I thought you might be able to help me. You’ve been here longer than I have. You’ve grown up in this town and know everyone in it. If you come up with anything, don’t hold back. Even if it’s just a thought, I’d like to know.”
“How far along was she?” Kelly asked.
“According to the coroner, about two months.”
Kelly sat quietly looking at her hands for a moment before she spoke. “Mike, what if she was pregnant by someone other than Brandon? What if that person found out and decided to kill her. Maybe the person was married. I don’t know, I’m searching here, kind of following up on when you asked me to help you, but I don’t recall any married men hanging around her when she was working here.”
“I don’t know either, but I intend to find out. This is a small town and whoever did this can’t hide forever. You mentioned you had some things to tell me. What have you found out?”
She told him about the trip she and Rebel had taken the prior night to the Black’s ranch. When she finished telling him what had happened, he held up his hand. “I wasn’t happy when I listened to your message. Kelly, we decided we’d do that together. Promise me you won’t fly off half-cocked like that again. You’re just lucky the guard didn’t shoot both you and Rebel.”
“Yeah, there was a moment when I realized I was in way over my head. I’m just glad it turned out okay.”
He took a long drink from his iced tea. “So am I. Kelly, you mentioned Rebel jumped back from the fence. Do you think it could have been electrified?”
“Well, I hadn’t thought of that, but yes, it could have been. It actually knocked him back several feet. I heard a gunshot at almost the same moment and my first thought was he’d been shot. I ran over to him and he was shaking, but there was no blood. That’s when Jeff came out, and as I told you, he was not happy that I hadn’t left. As a matter of fact, he made a veiled threat about Rebel, something like it would be a shame if something happened to Rebel. I thin
k that was a threat, don’t you?”
“Yes. I know Rebel’s always with you, but you might want to keep an eye on him when you let him outside for the next few days. You said something about having a strange conversation with Chris. Tell me about it.”
“Mike, he looked terrible. He didn’t come in yesterday like he always does and even though he came in today he didn’t have his usual coffee and ham omelet. He said he was really shaken up over Amber. He wanted to know if you’d found out anything about her. I mentioned you had a meeting with the county coroner last night, but I hadn’t heard from you. He gave me his cell phone number and asked me to text him as soon as I found out what the county coroner had told you. Don’t you think that’s strange?”
“Yes, but as we discussed yesterday, he probably got to know Amber pretty well between the cheerleading and her being one of his brightest students. Who knows? Maybe there’s something in his past, like somebody close to him was murdered or whatever. If I’ve learned one thing over the years as county sheriff, it’s that you never know the whole story about anyone.”
“Mike, do you have a gut feeling for who did it?”
“No. I guess my prime suspect at this time is Jeff Black, but I may be prejudiced. I just don’t trust the guy. I think he’s up to some type of illegal activity out at his ranch and maybe committing murder wouldn’t be that big of a step for him to take from what he’s already doing. I was thinking on the way over here that maybe Brandon had told him Amber was pregnant and he was going to marry her. Jeff probably figured that would ruin his son’s football career and the kid would be saddled with a baby and a wife when he went to college. That’s not an ideal situation for a young man when he’s away from home for the first time.”
Kelly's Koffee Shop (A Cedar Bay Cozy Mystey Book 1) Page 4